Love's Definition
by Wildcat Jason
Summary: A simple oneshot. A slight meandering of AsukaRei territory, with a simple end.


**Love's Definition**

By Jason Winter

A simple one-shot. A slight meandering of Asuka/Rei territory, with a simple end.

**Tokyo-3**

The sun had set and the moon and stars had come out over the fortress city, everything was silent, no Angel attacks, no red alerts, just peace and quiet.

Three figures sat on the grassy hills, looking up at the sky, contemplating reality yet again. Or at least two were, the other's mind was a blank, for the most part, just there with the other two because that's where they wanted to be.

The figures were a lanky, feminine boy with short, brown, almost black hair, and blue eyes, a feminine girl with long, fiery auburn hair and blue eyes, and a somewhat plain, very light colored skinned girl with short dark powder blue hair and blood-red eyes..

This had to be the third night in a row they were here, the first night sparked by what would be an insane experience for some, but completely normal for them day.

"Night three…." the boy said with a slight frown.

"Why the hell are here yet again, anyway?" the redhead complained, right eye twitching "Two days of this was enough…"

The boy wanted to respond with asking the redhead why she came along again in the first place, but his fear with confrontation with others kept him silent.

"You came with us again without saying a word, Pilot Soryu…" the blue-haired girl responded, her expression unchanging "Asking us why you came, it is pointless. Should you not have the answer?"

"Hey, no one asked what you thought, Wonder Girl. Besides, that was rhetorical! You think you're so great, huh?"

The blue-haired girl did not respond this time.

"I asked you a question. Answer!"

"M-maybe you should calm down, Asuka…" the boy finally chimed in reluctantly, and suddenly began to get up "You might be right, though… why are we here again? I'm going home."

"Suit yourself, Shinji," Asuka replied, a little irked, as she watched him walk off "Ugh, nitwit."

She turned to the other girl, who just simply blinked, face devoid of expression… well, almost.

"What're you looking at, Wonder Girl?"

"You. Your outbursts are a little intolerable… You really should be a bit more professional, Pilot Soryu," she replied matter of factly.

A roll of the eyes.

"Hmmph, whatever. You're weird, you know that?"

"Weird?"

Asuka's eyes rolled again.

"Well, yeah! You hardly ever speak, you almost never bat an eye for anything, you just sit there all stuck in your own little world. It would be surprising if you even had a thought train…"

A glance at the redhead.

"I have thoughts. I wonder about things, sometimes."

"Heh, well, you never seem to show it. What is going on in that head of yours right now?"

The blue-haired girl blinked.

"Typical. Typical Rei Ayanami."

Out came a simple, blunt response.

"I wonder… what is love?"

"You don't know what love is?", Asuka asked , raising an eyebrow, glancing at Rei.

"I know its definition, yes, but I don't really know what it is."

"So… you know what it is, but you've never felt it before? Yep, you're weird alright."

Rei once again looked at the sky.

"Can you tell me?"

"Well, love is when you see and/or know something that makes you feel happy. You can feel happiness, right?"

"At times…"

"Well, I suppose love is a bit different than normal happiness. It makes you feel kinda warm and stuff, when you're around something you love."

"Interesting."

Asuka glared daggers at Rei.

"Interesting! That's all you have to say!"

"Then maybe I do know what love is. I love the darkness, especially the nighttime. I love being a pilot. It gives me purpose. It is my purpose."

Asuka blinked. Did Rei just say what she thought she said!

"So… you enjoy piloting Evangelion?"

"Yes. My duties make me happy."

"Heh… yeah, piloting an Eva takes passion. You have to have a feeling for it, a love… It seems we both do. Shinji… well, he doesn't. I don't know how that twit's such a good pilot. He's got no passion for it whatsoever."

"He doesn't have the passion, but he seems to have the talent despite that fact. He's nice, although a bit slow and distant.."

"Feh…"

"Hmm."

"So, what else do you love?"

"That is all."

A twitch of the eyes and the raise of an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I might love the Commander, and my fellow pilots…"

"The Commander! Ew, he's way too old for you, you know."

Like she could speak for herself there. If anything, her infatuation with Kaji was just as bad.

A blink.

"I care for him, he cares for me. That is love, isn't it?"

"Well, sort of, I guess. But really, Wonder Girl… So you care… for other pilots? You actually care about Shinji and I?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Heh… I… didn't think you cared at all, Rei. Well, professionally, maybe, but, actual caring, no."

A question never thought possible.

"Do you care for me?"

"You're annoyingly calm all the time. I would say I don't care about you, but I might, only a little bit."

"So you don't love me…"

"…Uh, not really. Well, maybe, well, I really don't know."

"Fascinating. You say you don't love, but you also say you might."

Asuka couldn't help but grimace.

"Don't start getting all weird on me, Rei."

"Is there a way to find out if you love someone?" Rei asked, suddenly shifting closer to Asuka.

A blush and a shudder as response…

"Talking to them, knowing them enough… Then there's other things like kissing them and stuff, but--"

Before Asuka could finish her sentence, Rei kissed her lightly on the lips. Asuka freaked, shoving Rei away and scooting over, her face bright red.

"Why you… I can't believe you did that! One, you should have let me finish, and two, I didn't say anything about kissing me, and three, girls and girls aren't supposed to do that. It's… well, it's wrong and weird!"

Rei didn't seem to care.

"I see."

Now Asuka was getting really irritated.

"I don't love you. I care a LITTLE, but that's all. Nothing more, Wonder Girl."

"You said it was a way, though, Soryu."

"Well, yeah, but… Not like that!"

"I've talked to you, I know you, so I did what you said next.."

Asuka glared at Rei once again.

"Whatever. Just don't do that again."

"It worked, though. I know now. I care for you a little. I do not love you. It would appear we feel the same way."

"Well, if that's how it works for you, fine. At least you won't do that again."

"Not at all."

"Whatever, Wonder Girl. Just don't get me involved in it. I'm going home. You… can do whatever you like."

With that, Asuka walked off, and Rei looked at the night sky once more. She would not bring up the subject with Asuka again. But, as she looked at the sky and her thoughts churned, maybe she did love Asuka, she thought. But Asuka didn't love her, so, there was no more need to think about it. Besides, it would only interfere with her duties.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Asuka meandered into a certain apartment, where Shinji, a woman, and a penguin awaited her return. She said nothing, and looked at the sky from the window. She didn't love Rei. Did she? No. Preposterous. She turned, and sat down. Curry and ramen for dinner again… She hated them. She hated everything but herself and piloting. That was how life worked for her. No more need to think about it.

Both girls soon forgot their conversation that night. It was never mentioned to anyone, and if they had remembered, in the end, they would have been fine with that.

….Or would they?

**The End**

**Notes **- This short one-shot does not express my opinions on the A/R pairing. I do not mind it, and sometimes, the pairing's pretty interesting reading about. Also, this story is nearly a year old, as I really did never intend to publish this, but decided to make a few edits and publish it anyway. 02092006


End file.
